


The Extraordinary Adventures of Dr. Alexandra Danvers

by AXEe



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Aeronaut Astra, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, F/F, Science Hero Alex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2018-11-06 05:53:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11029995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: When she bought her ticket at the aerodock, Alex never expected to meet the future love of her life





	1. The Aeronaut

**Author's Note:**

> More General Danvers fun! Enjoy :=)

******

The National City Aerodock was bustling with activity as it always did, passengers darted to and fro and the great airships docked almost regularly, disgorging their passengers like ants swarming out of an anthill. Waiting at one such terminal, Dr. Alexandra Danvers straightened the hem of her dress and checked her ticket for the hundredth time

“You’re either very anxious to leave or eager to stay,” a voice suddenly said to her left “which is it I wonder?” turning, Alexandra found herself face to face with the most striking woman she had ever seen. Dressed in traveling gear, including trousers and a heavy leather jacket, the woman idly adjusted the goggles hanging from around her neck as the wind whipped her long dark hair around

“I’m sorry?” Alex stammered

“You,” the mysterious woman smiled, nodding towards Alex’s hand “you’re either anxious to leave or to anxious to stay” she repeated

“Neither, really,” Alex answered “my father was on an expedition in the Himalayas” she explained

“Was?” the woman asked

“He disappeared,” Alex confessed “I’m going to find him”

“Dressed like that?” the woman gestured to Alex’s traveling dress, smirking “and you’ll be undertaking this rescue mission in a passenger ship?” she asked, Alex scowled even as she realized that her plan was most likely not the most well-thought out

“Do you have a better option?” Alex sneered, the woman smirked

“Hire yourself an aeronaut,” she said simply “you’ll find many here willing to work for a few dollars”

“Hmm, I’m sure they are” Alex scoffed, she knew what kind of people this woman spoke of, criminals, thieves, people who used the skyways as a feeding ground, hijacking unsuspecting airships and robbing their passengers

“Not of all of them are criminals,” the woman scoffed “many of them enjoy the freedom the sky offers”

“Name one” Alex scoffed

“Well, me”

Alex gapped at her

“ _You’re_ an aeronaut?” she asked as she looked the woman up and down

“You were expecting some grizzled, half-drunk man who loudly boasts about how high or how fast he flew his craft?” the woman asked sarcastically, she smirked and then reached down and scooped up Alex’s trunk “come along” she said

“Hey!” Alex hurried after the woman “what are you doing?” she demanded

“You want to find your father, yes?” the woman asked “and you want to hire an aeronaut, yes? Well I am an aeronaut and you wish to employ me, therefore you’ve just hired yourself an aeronaut”

“But, but…,” Alex stammered as she hurried after the woman through bustling crowd towards the area of the docks reversed for the smaller airships “I don’t have any money!” she exclaimed

“So?” the woman scoffed as she approached a small, slightly worn, but obviously well maintained airship. Opening the hatch and setting the trunk down inside the woman turned to face Alex “the ground rules are as follows, no singing and if you snore I _will_ throw you overboard, is that clear?” Alex nodded dimly “very well then, welcome onboard the _Myriad_ ” she ushered Alex inside the plush interior, which like the outside was worn, but it felt…cozy in here “by the way,” the woman called out as she settled down by the controls “I’m ‘Astra’, and you are?”

“Oh, uh, Alex, Alex Danvers”

Astra stopped

“Is your father Jeremiah Danvers?” she asked

“Yes”

“Hmm well, in that case we’d better hurry, who knows what trouble old Jerry’s got himself into,” Astra turned back to the controls “strap yourself in” she instructed as the airship lurched and then slowly lifted away from the dock…


	2. Diffrence Engines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Yes, my steampunk General Danvers fic is back! Enjoy! :=)

******

The airship was furnished rather plainly compared to most, clearly built more for function than form, but still Alex could see familiar trappings. The deck plating was covered in a fine, if slightly-worn, oriental carpeting, while a long, low padded bench was set into the wall directly across from the entry hatch. Directly ahead of the main cabin sat the cockpit, directly aft of the cabin was a sleeping area with four bunks set into the wall on either side of a door which led into a small lavatory and shower.

Left with nothing else to do, Alex sat down on the bench and listened to the muffled rhythmic clacking/hiss of the engines as they dutifully chugged away at their jobs

“So you know my father?” she asked about an hour or two of comfortable silence as she leaned into the small cockpit

The other woman turned, smirking from behind her goggles

“Not personally, we’ve met a few times here and there, but never for very long,” she explained as she adjusted a dial on the controls, giving a gage a hard thump when it appeared to not show what she wanted it to show “your father does have quite the reputation though,” she added, smirking “didn’t the King of Madagascar threaten to cut off his hands if he ever came back?”

Alex smirked

“The way Dad tells it, it was all a big misunderstanding” she replied

Astra smirked back

“Of course it was,” she chuckled, giving the same gage a critical eye “not to ruin the good mood, but we’ll have to stop soon,” she announced “the boiler’s running low”

Alex peered out the viewports, seeing nothing but clouds

“Don’t worry,” Astra smirked as if she could read Alex’s thoughts “I know someone who can help us out” she adjusted the controls, the airship gently listing to the right

“So how long have you been an aeronaut?” Alex wondered

Astra shrugged

“Few years now” she answered

“And do you _always_ just offer to help out random strangers track down lost relatives?” Alex smirked

“No,” Astra chuckled “only the pretty ones”

******

A few minutes later they emerged from the cloudbank to see one of the outlaying islands off the coast of California, dotted with a series of docking towers, the place looked rather…unsavory to Alex, but she kept her mouth shut as Astra docked the _Myriad_ and disembarked

“Come on, we’ll need supplies anyway if we’re going into the Himalayas” she said, leading Alex out of the airship and across the surprisingly-crowded areodock. Neither woman noticed a man quickly hurry over to the airship behind them and, opening a maintenance hatch, quickly put something inside the engine compartment, reaching in after it to set a timer on the device…

******

Like those in National City Areodocks, the Catalina Islands Areodocks were bustling with people and cargo all entering or leaving California

“Stick close by,” Astra warned, pulling Alex close “most folks here don’t appreciate people asking too many questions” she explained as they ducked into an alleyway and stopped outside a shop

Schott’s Sprockets

The sign proclaimed as Astra pushed Alex inside the door. The interior of the shop was crowded with various odds and ends, dismantled clockworks were scattered everywhere, what looked like a half-assembled automaton stood in a corner, its brass gears and cogs glinting in the dim light

Astra suddenly whistled, the sound loud and piercing in the gloom

“Winn!” she called out.

There was a crash, followed by a clatter and then a dirt and soot-smudged man emerged from the back of the shop. He yanked the goggles covering his eyes up and sighed

“Do you know what you just did?” he asked

“Made you drop something?” Astra asked

“Yes!” the man exclaimed “three weeks of work! Gone, thank you very much”

“Put it on my tab,” Astra rolled her eyes “come on, Winn, I just need a top off and little patch work” she pleaded

“ ‘Patch work’?” Winn echoed “oh god! What did you do to that poor ship _now_?” he exclaimed

“Do you _really_ want to know the answer to that?”

“Not really, no,” he suddenly seemed to notice Alex “oh! Sorry!” he quickly found a fairly clean-looking cloth and frantically scrubbed at his hands “I’m sorry, Winslow Schott, Jr.,” he introduced himself, shaking Alex’s hand “or, or, just ‘Winn’ if, if you want” he added

“Dr. Alex Danvers” Alex introduced herself

“Winn here is one of the best mechanics in the western hemisphere,” Astra boosted “he does to gears and sprockets what Beethoven did to notes on paper”

Winn chuckled, giving both women a rather charming shy grin

“Can you tell my last twenty customers that?” he asked. He turned to Astra “come on, let’s see what needs to be patched up on that ship of yours?”

“Ah,” Astra reached into her jacket and pulled out a handful of gears “oh,” she reached into the other pocket and pulled out what looked like part of a metal cylinder “and…finally…,” she pulled out a brass ball and thumped it down on the counter “there we are”

Winn slowly looked at each item

“Is this…the analytical engine for the _Myriad_?” he asked hesitantly

“What’s left of it, yes” Astra nodded

“How are you still flying around?” Winn exclaimed “without a analytical engine to copilot you’re basically flying blind. No, I take that back, you _are_ flying blind!”

“Winn, the first sailors didn’t have difference engines,” Astra sighed “and they found new trade routes with just a compass”

Winn groaned

“I swear, one of these days…” he trailed off as the door opened again, three men entering

“Dr. Danvers?” one asked, removing his hat

“Yes?” Alex looked up

“Dr. _Alexandra_ Danvers?” the man asked

“Yes? What’s this about?” Alex asked

“Your father,” the man answered.

His two companions each suddenly withdrew a pistol and aimed them at the three

“You’re never going to find him” the man promised…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A "difference engine" was the name a device created by inventor Charles Babbage in the 1840s to calculate, among other things, large mathematical sums, it was basically a giant calculator. Although never built due to the expense, the device is considered by many to be one of the world's first computers, Babbage would later design what he called an 'analytical engine' which he envisioned as a more general-purpose computer. Many of the calculations for the analytical engine were made by _female_ mathematician Ada Lovelace, who is, as a result, considered to be one of the first computer programmers. Take _that_ Jobs! :=)


	3. Clockwork Conspiracy

******

As the two gunmen approached, Astra suddenly whirled around, grabbing the brass ball she’d placed on the counter and lobbing at one of the two men, the ball struck him in the forehead with a resounding _clang!_ and a bellow of pain. 

His companions turned, allowing Astra to fetch up two more items—a wrench and a screwdriver, specifically—and hurl them at the would be assailants

“Come on!” grabbing Alex’s arm, she hauled the younger woman over the countertop and down onto the floor, both of them piling on top of Winn as the bullets started flying, glass shattering, objects falling from the ceiling as the bullets whizzed by

“Is there back way out of here?!” Astra demanded over the gunfire as she drew a gun of her own, loaded it, and then opened fire over the counter. There was cry of pain and crash “got him!” Astra hissed “Winn! Back way?!” she prompted

“Yeah, here” cringing, Winn quickly crawled across the floor towards the back of the shop, Alex moving to follow him only for Astra to stop her

“Wait,” she grabbed at Alex’s waist and, in three hard quick pulls, quickly tore Alex’s dress off, leaving Alex in just her bloomers from the waist down “you can’t run in a dress!” Astra snarled as she shoved Alex along after Winn, the three of them quickly slipping through a cluttered workshop

“Here! Here!” Winn handed them each a handful of small cylinders which resembled syringes but lacking a needle, each one was filled with a red of green liquid “sleeping gas,” he explained hurriedly “just press the plunger” he explained

Grunting, Alex quickly pressed the plunger, there was some resistance before she heard a muffled _snap_ from within the cylinder, the liquid began to glow a bright green as bubbles began to fill it, as if it was boiling almost. Turning, she hurled the device at their pursuers

“Wait,” Winn began “was that the green one?”

“Yes” Alex nodded

Winn gasped

“ _GET DOWN!!_ ” he shoved both women to the ground as an explosion of bright green flame suddenly filled the room, destroying one wall completely and utterly demolishing the front of the shop. Coughing, the three slowly stood

“That,” Astra coughed “…was _not_ sleeping gas”

“No, the green one’s an incendiary” Winn panted out

“Thanks for the advanced notice” Alex sneered

“I tend to forget things when people _are shooting at me!!_ ” Winn snarled. He turned gave part of the wreckage a hard kick “look at this! My shop is gone! And its all _your fault!!!_ ” he jabbed a finger into Astra’s chest

“ _‘My’_ fault?” she echoed “hey, I didn’t tell those goons to come in here. In fact,” she whirled to face Alex “they weren’t even after me, they were after _you_ ,” she stabbed an accusatory finger at the young doctor “now why did they want to you dead? What was your father working that is so important to hire hitmen?”

“I don’t know!” Alex exclaimed “his last letter, just before he disappeared, said that he’d found something, something…terrifying up in the mountains,” she explained “that’s all I know, I swear!”

“Hmm,” Astra huffed “all right, they clearly want you alive, otherwise they could have just killed you once they found out who you were. So…,” she took a breath “let’s find your father” she declared

“Hey, wait a minute,” Winn objected “oh no! You’re not going anywhere without me!”

“It’ll be dangerous, Winn” Astra objected

“Oh no, don’t you try that,” Winn snarled “you _owe_ me, Inze!” he gestured around the ruins of his shop “as of right now, I’m your partner”

Astra sighed

“All right,” she finally growled out “come on, we’d better hurry, the police out here usually don’t bother asking questions before they arrest you”

“Wait,” Alex stopped them “come look at this” she nodded to where the bodies of the three men now lay. Except, the glimmer of brass shone through the burned and tattered clothing of two of them

“Automatons?” Astra asked

“Looks like,” Winn nodded, bending to examine them “yeah, pretty sophisticated too,” he frowned as he examined the head of one of the automatons “I’ve never seen an analytical engine this small before” he announced

“Neither have I,” Alex admitted “look at this, the mechanism’s so small, it’s almost microscopic,” she visibly shivered “automatons with microscopic mechanisms, complex enough to be capable of imitating human beings…” she paled “I don’t like this at all”

“No,” Astra agreed “this isn’t good. Whatever your father stumbled upon out there in the mountains…it could change the world as we know it,” she breathed. She looked up as a bell clanged in the distance “that’s the cops, we’d better hurry,” she ordered, ushering them out of ruined shop, with Winn pausing briefly to grab the head of one of the automatons

“Come on,” Astra urged “back to the ship…”

And as they took the backstreets towards the docks, a lone figure watched them...

******

They’d reached the _Myriad_ without further delay and had succeeded in taking off without incident. Alex had quickly changed out her ruined dress into an old pair of clothes that Astra had, they were a bit big on her, but doable, and she now sat examining the strange micro clockwork in a loose man’s shirt and a pair of trousers. The head featured a hollow skull-like framework surrounding a variety of gears and cogs, which became smaller and smaller the deeper you went into the cranium.

“Look at this, it _is_ microscopic,” she exclaimed as she examined the mechanism through the microscope she’d brought with her “but there’s no maker’s marks, no designer’s seal of any kind,” she looked up from the scope, flummoxed “who made this?” she wondered

“Whoever it was has to be rich;” Winn declared “to make something this isn’t cheap”

“OK,” Astra turned back from the controls “so, we know that who made this thing is rich and probably has a large amount of resources on hand, and they scared your father enough to either go into hiding or…” she trailed off

“…or they captured him” Alex finished

“But for what?” Winn wondered

“I don’t know” Alex admitted.

******

Unbeknownst to the three travelers, deep in the recesses of the engines, the timer of a large metal cylinder finally wound down, starting a complex series of mechanisms into motion, the top of the cylinder slowly opened, four small golf ball-sized spheres rolling out, each sphere suddenly sprouted four filament-thin legs and, guided by the microscopic clockwork within them, scurried spider-like atop these legs to the gears and cogs controlling the engines.

Upon reaching their destination, each sphere suddenly split in half slightly, the body opening to unveil of set of small, but frighteningly efficient tools, most notably a small diamond-tipped rotary saw blade which it used to make quick work of the teeth linking each gear and cog together, upsetting the engines’ delicate mechanism, the toothless gears now spinning wildly…

******

“…military?” Winn wondered

“Maybe,” Astra acknowledged “though I doubt it, the military usually doesn’t kill people to shut them. Just threaten to”

“Then it must be a private individual,” Alex argued “but where would they get the money to finance something like this?” she wondered

“Maybe they found something, something valuable,” Winn suggested “like gold or jewels, something that they could use to hire scientists to design and build something like this”

“But _who_?” Astra pressed “that’s the question”

The ship suddenly shuddered violently

“What was that?” Alex asked “turbulence?”

“No,” Astra turned back to the controls, struggling with the levers “the controls are jammed, engine temperature’s rising rapidly,” she announced. She scowled and turned back to the others

“We’re losing altitude,” she reported “if we don’t fix this soon, we’ll crash…”


	4. Tangled Web

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Enjoy! :=)

******

The _Myriad_ , like most airships, achieved lift primarily through the use of a hydrogen envelope. Unlike the early airships however, the envelope—rather than being suspended _above_ the passenger section—was instead wrapped _around_ the passenger section by means of a lightweight egg-shaped framework. The main cabin, which resembled a train car in appearance if not size, sat in the center of this framework.

Supported by the framework were the two gas-filled envelopes, one covering the fore of the ship, the other covering the aft, each half wrapped around almost the entirety of the main body of the airship—excluding the ship’s main entrance/exit hatch—in an aerodynamic shape resembling a cigar, meeting at the vertical midpoint of the ship’s body, effectively turning the entire cabin into a balloon.

Covering the envelope were a series of metal plates resembling a silvery quilt which covered the entire envelope excluding a large circular ‘bubble’ at the front of the craft which served as the main viewing port, and the six small portholes running along either side of the ship, three on each side, the metal plating served both as protection from leakage of the hydrogen and from lighting strikes, which could ignite the highly-flammable hydrogen within the envelope with fatal results. The plating also acted lightweight armor plating to defend against the unlikely—but still probable—attack from air pirates. At the rear of the ship, in the center of the four stabilizing fins, were two large propellers, which were the ship’s main method of thrust

Below the cabin, under the floor, were four tanks—two aft and two fore—which in addition to acting as ballast and keeping the airship level while in flight also served to hold both the hydrogen for when the airship landed, in the two forward tanks, while the two aft tanks served to hold water to feed the boiler which powered the ship’s single Rolls-Royce steam engine, the engine also—by means of a series of steam pipes threaded throughout the ship’s cabin—provided heat for the passengers by means of radiant heat, as well as powering the electric lights and the wireless telegraph.

All of these systems were designed to work in perfect harmony, and usually did, with the current exception of the engine, which was currently having a conniption fit…

******

“OK!” Astra yanked her goggles up with a scowl as she struggled with the non-responsive controls “I’ve got good news and bad news” she announced as she turned to her two passengers

“Let’s hear the good news” Winn panted out as the ship shuddered again

“The envelope’s still intact, we’re not leaking any hydrogen,” Astra explained “so, even if the engine dies we’ll stay aloft for a while”

“What’s the bad news?” Alex wondered

“The engine temperature’s rising well past safe limits,” Astra explained “and I don’t think I have to remind you both of how flammable hydrogen is”

“Oh. Great,” Alex sighed “anything else?”

As if to answer her, a sudden metallic tapping sound emanated from one of the brass steam pipes lining the walls

“What…is that?” Winn asked

“Sh-sh!” Astra held up a hand as she slowly stood up, reaching into her boot to draw her pistol as her eyes traced the sound as it continued in the pipes above their heads “there’s something _in_ the pipes” she whispered

“What? How?” Alex exclaimed, looking up as the sound intensified. There was a sudden silence that was quickly followed by a harsh, rattling buzz

“Over here” Winn whispered as he leaned over, pressing one ear to one of the pipes as the rattling buzz became stronger and louder. With a creaking groan, the pipe suddenly burst, Winn staggering back with a startled and pained yell as heated pressurized steam suddenly billowed out of the pipe to fill the cabin

“Winn!” Alex grabbed his shoulders and examined his face

“I’m all right” he groaned

“Hang on!” Astra turned back to the controls and—using her sleeves as an improvised pair of gloves—managed to close the valve, the cloud of steam rapidly dying down “everyone all right?!” she called out “Winn?”

“Yeah,” Winn coughed “yeah, I’m OK,” he took a breath. His face looked a little red, but there didn’t seem to be any serious damage “ _what_ …was _that_?” he demanded

All three travelers turned towards the burst pipe, watching as the ticking, rattling sound suddenly resumed as something began moving through the wisps of steam still issuing forth from the pipe. Suddenly something began cutting through the wood paneling to the side of the pipe, a tiny saw making a nearly-perfectly circular outline in the wood

“Get behind me” Astra ordered grimly as she cocked the revolver in her hand. Alex quickly got behind her, while Winn got behind her.

As they watched a tiny, circular panel of wood fell away. With a chattering, mechanical _squawk_ a golf ball-sized mechanical spider suddenly scurried out of the hole, frantically scurrying down the wall like the eight-legged creatures it resembled, three more quickly following the first.

Astra didn’t hesitate, quickly squeezing off a shot that obliterated the first of the automatons in a crash of gun smoke, wood splinters, and a clatter of gears and cogs. The three remaining automatons paused, then, chattering almost angrily they suddenly charged down the wall, brandishing tiny—but deadly-looking—cutting tools with the clear intent of using them on the three travelers

“Back! Back!” Alex yelled as the automatons charged forward, deceptively comical-looking cutting tools quickly slicing through the carpeting and part of the deck plating below with frightening ease and accuracy.

Astra let out a snarl of frustration as she fired off two more shots, the first hitting its target, obliterating one spider, but the last spider leapt out of the way, scurrying up the wall to cling to the pipes running across the ceiling

“Get off my ship!” Astra roared as it easily—almost-tauntingly, in fact—scurried along the pipes

“It’s heading for the controls!” Winn exclaimed as the machine all but ‘sprinted’ along the pipes towards the cockpit

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Astra lunged, sprinting down the length of the cabin and quickly scooped up the tiny destructive automaton in her hands as it dropped down from its perch.

It’s tiny filament-like legs frantically kicked and flailed as Astra caught it, winding its legs around her hand like the tentacles of an octopus or squid as she quickly struggled to work her fingers away from the various flailing cutting implements, which—unlike the filament-like legs—were far less flexible and thus less likely to cut off one or more of Astra’s fingers depending on where she put them.

Chattering and chirping, the tiny automaton managed to slip around in her grip, wriggling out of her palm to scurry onto the back of her hand, two of its legs winding around her wrist in a tight, bruising grip. With a grunt, Astra suddenly slammed her hand against the wall, crushing the tiny machine into submission.

Letting out a strange, mechanical whimpering sound the automaton suddenly went limp, dropping out of Astra’s hand to clatter inertly against the floor.

“Everybody all right?” Astra asked

“More or less” Alex panted out as Astra struggled with the controls

“Where are we?” she muttered, peering intently out the viewport, laughing heartily as the clouds parted and the Hong Kong Aerodocks came into view “all right, strap yourselves in back there,” she ordered as she retook the controls “this won’t be the most dignified landing,” she warned “or the most comfortable,” she muttered.

Shutting down the malfunctioning engine down, she slowly vented the hydrogen back into the storage tanks, letting gravity slowly bring the airship in. With a hard, shuddering jerk, the _Myriad_ docked with the mooring tower.

Sighing, Astra leaned back in the pilot’s chair and took a breath

“Well,” she began “that was interesting…”


	5. Mysterious Woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update!

******

The Hong Kong Aerodocks bustled with activity, even more so than those at National City or the Catalina Islands. Nestled in the safety of Victoria Bay, goods, materials, and people came from all over Asia and from all over the British Empire either by ship or airship and all of them invariably passed through Hong Kong at some point in their journey, making for a heady, cramped, crowed, and oftentimes volatile, mix of humanity.

Hopping out of the _Myriad_ , Astra lifted her goggles up off her head and tucked them away in her jacket as she placed a wide-brimmed fedora on her head, smirking as she took in the grey, windswept and rain-soaked expanses of the aerodocks

“Hong Kong,” she sighed “god, what a mess,” she turned back to the ship “come on, you two” she called as she strode forward, Alex and Winn quickly hurrying to follow

“Oi! Oi!” a man in a colonial civil servant’s uniform—presumably one of the dock masters—charged after her “you just landed your ship without permission,” he spat “we were forced to divert three other ships as a result,” he pulled what looked like a logbook out from under his arm “now, I’ll need your name and the name of your ship”

Astra smirked and casually tossed a large gold coin onto the book, the gold gleaming even in the dim overcast light

“Let’s just forget about names, hmm?” she purred

The man looked down at the coin, then up at her, and then suddenly shut the book shut with a snap

“Welcome to Hong Kong, Ms. Smith” he chirped brightly

“Thank you,” Astra held up another coin, practically taunting the man with it “my ship needs some repairs” she stated

“Yes. Of course” the man nodded, his eyes never leaving the coin she held between her thumb and forefinger

“Ah,” Astra closed her hand around the coin as he reached for it “first the repairs,” she stated “I want it done fast, I want it done well—no cutting corners—and I _don’t_ want any questions. Clear?”

The man nodded

“Good,” Astra held up the coin again “get all that done and this is yours. _After_ I double-check your work,” she tucked the coin away and held up a silver one this time, smirking at the lustful expression on the man’s face “be a good boy and fetch us a taxi?” she asked…

******

The taxi chugged and puttered pleasantly, steam puffing away from the steam stack, as it wound its way through the crowded, narrow and winding streets of Hong Kong. Guided by a compact analytical engine, the taxi required no driver; the passengers simply had to input an address via a rotary dial and then the sophisticated analytical engine would guide the taxi to your chosen destination in a timely, efficient, and—above all else—safe manner.

As it rumbled along, Alex glanced at Astra, wondering about how easily—almost carelessly in fact—she had bribed the dock master. She had done it with the air of someone who was used to paying people to not ask questions, someone who was used to getting her way, and now Alex was wondering just _who_ she’d gotten involved with on this odyssey. First the automatons back in the Catalina Islands, and then the strange mechanical spiders in the _Myriad_.

Alex glanced over at Winn as he examined the lone surviving spider from the _Myriad_ , wondering about his whole role in this. He and Astra clearly knew each other, quite well if their banter was any indication, and Winn hadn’t seemed fazed by Astra’s act of bribery back at the aerodock, in fact he’d seemed somewhat unsurprised.

“This one’s different,” Winn stated as he turned the small automaton over in his hands, breaking Alex out of her thoughts “there’s some kind of mark or seal on the underside and on the mechanism itself, but I can’t make it out in this light” he continued as he peered at it through a jeweler’s eyeglass

“Relax, Winn,” Astra soothed as the taxi came to a stop “I know some people who could help” she proclaimed as she slid a handful of coins into the slot on the taxi’s console. There was a rattling, clattering sound before the doors opened and allowed the three out.

Turning as she opened her umbrella, Alex examined the upscale, high-rise building they’d arrived at. One of the older, yet one of the more expensive buildings in the city, clearly home to persons of wealth and influence

“Your friends have done well for themselves” she commented

“They have indeed” Astra chuckled as she led them inside the gilded lobby towards the lifts. Entering the lifts, they took their seats on the bench set against the back wall

“Going up?” the attendant asked as he shut the door

“Fortieth floor please, the penthouse” Astra requested.

Nodding, the attendant adjusted the lever and the lift began to slowly rise. Emerging on the fortieth floor, they walked down a long hallway to a set of doors at the end marked with the number ‘1889’. Astra pressed the button for the bell once and then knocked hard on the doors. In seconds the doors swung open, a tall black man standing before them

“Astra” he exclaimed in clear surprise

Astra smiled at him as she tipped her fedora

“Hello, James,” she greeted “is Kara in?”

“Yeah, sure, come on in” the man now identified as ‘James’ invited as he held open the door, calling out to ‘Kara’ as he did

“James, hey” Winn greeted, warmly wrapping the taller man up in a one-armed hug as they walked into a wide open, lavish, yet simply decorated, apartment

“Alex Danvers, James Olsen,” Astra introduced “James, this is Dr. Alexandra Danvers”

“Charmed” James replied, warmly and firmly shaking Alex’s hand

“Aunt Astra!”

A pretty young blonde in a set of bright blue petticoats and glasses suddenly hurried out of the back room, hurrying across the room to _fling_ herself into Astra’s arms, laughing gleefully

“Oh, why didn’t you cable me first?” she asked as she pulled back “we’ve could have met you at the aerodock”

“I’m sorry, little one,” Astra apologized “but I’m afraid this isn’t a social call,” she turned to Alex “Alex, this my niece, Kara Zor-El and her husband,” she explained “they’re reporters for the _Independent Wireless Service_. If anyone can help find your father, it’s them”

“Wait, hold on,” James held up a hand “start at the beginning please”

“Sorry,” Alex shook her head “my father is Jeremiah Danvers, Dr. Jeremiah Danvers. He went missing a little over two weeks ago while on an expedition in the Himalayas”

“Wait, Dr. Jeremiah Danvers?” Kara asked “the astronomer?”

Alex nodded

“That’s him,” she confirmed “he was testing a new theory he had about planetary alignment in relation to gravity when he went missing”

“We think foul play was involved,” Astra picked up. She dropped the automaton skull down on the coffee table “two of these tried to attack us at Winn’s shop and then _this_ ,” she held up the spider “…and two friends tried to turn my ship into scrap metal”

Kara and James looked at each other, clearly recognizing something

“I think you’d better sit down” James instructed…


	6. The Cadmus Theory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple update!

******

“…in the past year, dozens of scientists from all across the globe have suddenly gone missing,” Kara explained as she set down a leather briefcase and opened it, pulling out various papers and photographs and spread them out onto the tabletop while James quietly set down a tea service “all experts in different fields,” Kara explained “Drs. T.O Marrow, Will Magnus, and Professor Ivo, all experts in advanced automata. Dr. Ray Palmer, expert in molecular biology and microscopy. Dr. John Henry Steel, munitions and armor. Dr. Alec Holland, bioengineering”

“And, now, my father,” Alex sighed “astronomy and celestial navigation”

“Why haven’t we heard of this?” Astra asked as she examined the papers “I mean, dozens of scientists, all prominent members of their respective fields, suddenly going missing would raise a few flags in my book”

“The government’s been keeping a tight lid on the disappearances;” James explained “they’ve ‘asked’ that the press keep quiet about it for now”

“Now, at first, all of the disappearances seemed random,” Kara picked up “most of them didn’t even know each other, professionally or personally”

“But you found a link” Astra guessed

Kara smirked

“A big one,” she slapped a file folder down on the table and opened it, revealing a photograph of a woman “everyone, meet ‘Lillian Luthor’. She’s an expatriate from Germany; apparently she was forced into exile after she became highly critical about the Kaiser,” she explained as Alex examined the photograph, shivering at how cold and calculating her eyes looked “after her exile,” Kara picked up “she apparently wandered around Europe for a while, and started to become extremely critical of governments in general”

“She began publishing papers on what she called the ‘Cadmus Theory’,” James picked up “the idea that certain people are put on this Earth to…guide humanity forward. She started talking about establishing a kind of stateless utopia, a place where _‘the artist will need not fear the censor and the scientist need not fear the morality of the Church’_.”

“So what happened to this utopia?” Astra wondered as she shifted through the file which seemed to include copies of Lillian’s papers, which—if the writing style was any indication—became more and more fanatic sounding as they went on.

“We don’t know,” Kara admitted “no one really bought into it apparently, and it looks like Luthor just…disappeared”

“When was this?” Alex asked

“About forty years ago,” Kara answered “no one’s heard from her since, or even knows if she’s still alive”

“Until today, that is,” James added. He held up the mechanical spider and turned it over, pointing to the seal that Winn had noticed earlier “this is the personal Coat of Arms of Lillian Luthor” he explained, to elaborate, Kara held up a sketch of the crest. A shield of azure bordered with gold with a letter ‘L’ in gold, two knights in armor supported the shield, while the crest’s motto scrolled out below the shield in Latin

“What’s the motto mean?” Winn wondered, nodding towards the Latin text

“ _‘The Ends Justify the Means’_ ” Alex translated

“Cheery thought,” Astra drawled “is there anyone who can give us more information?” she asked

“There might be,” James nodded. He held out a photograph, this one displaying what looked like a group of miners posing with their latest haul “just before she disappeared, Lillian apparently had a mining business,” he explained “she owned and operated several mines around the world. Now most of them failed, but one had some rather moderate success”

“It’s right here in China, in a village on the mainland,” Kara explained, pulling out a map and spreading it on the table, nearly knocking the entire tea service onto the carpet and only avoiding doing so due to her husband’s quick reflexes “here,” Kara circled an area with a pencil “up in the mountains, in the shadow of the Great Wall”

“That area looks pretty remote” Astra noted, scrutinizing the map

“It is,” James nodded “the railroad didn’t stop there until just last year, and even now it’s still a three day hike uphill to reach the actual village itself”

“Hmm” Astra frowned contemplatively at the map

“What were they mining?” Alex wondered

“That’s the odd part,” Kara sighed “according to the reports and accounts of the former miners we have, they didn’t seem to be mining for anything in particular. In fact, according to some, it was more like Lillian was more interested in how deep they could dig than in what they were digging out”

“Strange” Winn muttered as he stifled a yawn

“How long has it been since any of you slept?” James wondered

“Depends,” Astra shrugged as she took a large gulp of her tea “what day is it?”

“Aunt Astra,” Kara sighed “all right,” she sighed “ _no one_ is going _anywhere_ until you’ve all had something to eat and got some sleep” she ordered…

******

The spare bedroom was, unsurprisingly, spacious yet understated. The whitewashed walls featured a few prints of famous artworks, while the large, single bed was a coved in plush, comfortable-looking sheets. Clearly Kara and James prioritized comfort over luxury, preferring to buy expensive furnishings more for the comfort they afforded rather than for showing off their—clearly considerable—wealth.

Smoothing out her borrowed nightdress—courtesy of Kara—Alex surveyed the bed with the air of a woman about to face the executioner’s block. The bed looked quite comfortable, with soft-looking sheets and a heavy, fluffy-looking duvet cover.

Tensing as she heard the pipes rattle in the en suite bathroom, Alex huffed out a breath and threw back the covers and had just climbed inside when Astra emerged from the bathroom clad in only an oversized (on her) men’s shirt. Smirking as she walked over, the shirt’s tails just brushing the tops of her thighs, she said nothing as she climbed inside the bed opposite Alex and turned out the light

“Good night” she finally spoke

“Good night” Alex said quickly, finding that she was relaxing already despite the odd situation. In seconds, she was asleep, unconsciously shifting and scooting towards Astra, wrapping an arm around her. Smirking, Astra pulled the young woman close and finally gave into temptation and placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head…

******

At that same moment, unbeknownst to either Alex or Astra, three well-dressed men entered the building’s lobby. For all intents and purposes they appeared utterly normal, but a closer examination would reveal the unusual waxy quality of their skin, how their teeth appeared to be far too straight and even and white, and their eyes seemed to lack a certain light, a certain spark within.

“I said ‘stop’!”

The three men turned as the doorman hurried over

“Now see here—” he began, only to be cut off midsentence as one of the men withdrew a pistol-shaped device from his coat, aiming at the unfortunate doorman he fired, the poor soul vanished in a brilliant flash of green light, leaving nothing but a pile of ash

Now unobstructed in their mission, the three men reached the stairs, pausing at the first step. The man in the middle, clearly the leader, turned to the man on his left

“Inform the Governor that we shall have Dr. Danvers momentary” he said simply…

**Author's Note:**

> Anybody who wants me to continue this let me know :=)


End file.
